Jackson Lacombe: U.S. men's hockey team returns to South Florida after Olympic gold
jackson lacombe The U. S. men's hockey team arrived in South Florida on Monday after beating Canada in the Olympic final in Milan, Italy, and will mark the victory with an immediate celebration in Miami the same night. The return matters now because the win generated massive television audiences and an on-the-ground reception that began the moment the plane landed.
Updated on February 23, 2026 at 4: 56 PM ET by CBS Miami
Updated on February 23, 2026 at 4: 56 PM ET. The team’s flight landed at Miami International Airport and, as it was making its way to the gate, the players were honored with a water salute. Arrival in South Florida came after a weekend final in Milan, Italy that ended with an overtime winner for the United States.
Jack Hughes' 3-on-3 OT winner off Zach Werenski's pass
Jack Hughes scored the decisive goal 1: 41 into 3-on-3 overtime after receiving a pass from Zach Werenski, a play that sent his teammates into a wild on-ice celebration while Canada’s entire team watched from the bench. Hughes sustained a high-stick during the game and lost some teeth. He described the result as unbelievable, framed the matchup as a classic USA-Canada contest featuring many great players, and said the U. S. were underdogs to Canada but beat them in a game that could have gone either way.
Jackson Lacombe: name unclear in the provided context
Jackson Lacombe is mentioned here only because the keyword appears in this article’s brief; specifics about Jackson Lacombe are unclear in the provided context.
E11EVEN Miami celebration and limited rest for the roster
After landing the team faces a tight window to rest before celebrating in Miami on Monday night. The squad’s planned celebration spot is E11EVEN Miami. The club has been ranked the No. 1 nightclub in the United States and No. 6 globally and is a regular destination for championship festivities: it has welcomed the Florida Panthers after their back-to-back Stanley Cup victories, Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana Hoosiers following their College Football National Championship, and Formula 1 champions Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Television viewership: NBC, Peacock and USA Network numbers
The Olympic men's hockey gold-medal game between the U. S. and Canada drew an average audience of 20. 7 million viewers across NBC, Peacock and USA Network. On NBC and Peacock specifically, the average live audience between 8: 15 a. m. and 11 a. m. ET was recorded at 18. 6 million viewers. The broadcast peaked at 26 million viewers on NBC and Peacock at the moment Jack Hughes' overtime goal decided the final.
This 2026 game ranks as the second-most watched hockey game on NBC; the 2010 men's gold-medal game between the same countries, which Canada won in overtime, drew 27. 6 million viewers. What makes this notable is that the live peak coincided with the deciding play, amplifying both the cultural moment and the ratings impact.
Women's gold, Team USA records and overall Olympic audience
Viewers also tuned in for the U. S. women's 2-1 overtime victory over Canada. That game averaged 5. 3 million viewers on USA Network and Peacock and peaked at 7. 7 million viewers in overtime before Megan Keller’s winning goal, making it the most-watched women's hockey game on record. The women's result delivered the program’s third Olympic gold medal—all three against Canada—and its first since the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.
The Milan Cortina Games produced broader audience gains: NBC averaged about 26. 7 million viewers in total on Thursday, the largest Winter Games weekday audience since 2014. Team USA set a national record with 12 gold medals at these Games, and an average of 23. 5 million viewers in the United States tuned in to watch Team USA set that record. Across the entire Olympics, each of the 15 days topped 20 million viewers, making the Milan Cortina Games the most-watched Winter Olympics since 2014.
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